Chelsea captain John Terry has warned his teammates to expect a brutal battle when the Premier League leaders travel to Blackburn Rovers today.
Blackburn were one of the teams criticized by Fulham’s Danny Murphy recently for deliberately going out to intimidate opponents with their tough-tackling style, but Terry has no complaints about Blackburn’s aggressive approach and the England defender is relishing the prospect of a physical encounter at Ewood Park.
Carlo Ancelotti’s reigning champions are five points clear at the top of the table, but they have failed to score in their last two away league matches and Terry knows they will have to fight to end that run this weekend.
Photo: Reuters
“I think it [the criticism] is very unfair, especially against the likes of Wolves and Blackburn,” Terry said. “We know going to Blackburn is going to be a tough game. That’s part of football. I think they get a lot of unfair criticism. We can’t just go there and expect to pick up the three points because we’re Chelsea Football Club. We need to go there and be prepared to have a scrap.”
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal have a strong enough squad to challenge for every major trophy this season.
The Gunners, who host London rivals West Ham United today, moved into second place in the table after last weekend’s 3-0 rout of Manchester City — a result Wenger believes was proof of his team’s hunger for success.
Even the League Cup — normally treated with disdain by Wenger — is a serious target this season as Arsenal look to end a five-year trophy drought and the French coach said: “I said to the players, we will go for everything we can, as simple as that. We don’t want to choose competitions.”
“I believe we have a squad good enough to win trophies, that’s why I think: ‘OK, let’s go as far as we can,’” Wenger said.
Manchester United will once again look to young Mexico international striker Javier Hernandez to fill in for Wayne Rooney in today’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
With Rooney recovering from injury in Dubai, Hernandez has taken the chance to display his predatory instincts as United try to keep pace with Chelsea.
He scored twice in last weekend’s win at Stoke City and then came off the bench to net the last-minute winner that sunk Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup.
Michael Owen has been impressed by his United teammate and the former England striker said: “It’s obviously early days for him, but he’s made a really good impression at the club. He’s young, sharp and a good finisher.”
Spurs travel to Old Trafford looking for their first win there since December 1989 and Croatia international midfielder Luka Mod-ric is confident Harry Redknapp’s side can end that barren run.
“Why not go there and try to win? I know Tottenham haven’t won at Old Trafford for a long time, so why not now?” Modric said. “It’s the best stage to play, the best stadium and it will be a great game for us.”
United’s bitter local rivals Manchester City need an immediate response to their defeat against Arsenal when they face Wolves at Molineux.
Roberto Mancini’s side missed a chance to close the gap on Chelsea against Arsenal, but the City boss is confident there will be no hangover from that result.
“There is no feeling that we are dispirited by what happened on Sunday, it is just the opposite,” Mancini said. “This game can be important because now we understand that we are a very strong team, that we play together and we have the right spirit in the team.”
Tomorrow, Liverpool aim to climb out of the relegation zone when they visit Bolton Wanderers, while two fiercely contested local derbies will see Aston Villa host Birmingham City and Sunderland make the short trip to Newcastle United.
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